The invention relates to a connector apparatus and a method for mounting a coding device on the connector.
More particularly, the invention relates to a plug connector. Such connectors are generally formed from two parts, one of which serves as a plug and the other of which serves as a socket for receiving the plug.
A plug connector of the general type with which the invention is related is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,330. A major drawback of such connectors is that the mounting and setting of the coding device on the connector are relatively burdensome.
Another plug connector is disclosed in EP 1119229 A1 wherein a coding device having two parts is attached as a pre-mounted unit on an electronic housing. After the electronic housing is applied to a base support such as a multiple terminal structure or plug-in terminal strip, one of the coding elements remains on the housing and the other is left on the base support. However, this solution is not suitable for general plug connectors because it requires movement of the housing and terminal not only in the plugging direction when they are connected together, but also in a direction perpendicular to the plugging direction, which is generally not attainable with plug connectors of the general type.
The present invention was developed in order to improve upon the known types of plug connectors by adding a coding device which is easy to install, handle, and operate, and which is relatively compact. The invention further relates to a simple method of mounting and coding the plug connector. More particularly, the coding device is connected solely by axial movement of the components without the need for any movement perpendicular to the plugging direction.